The invention relates in general to a signal measurement apparatus and in particular to a signal measurement apparatus for a missile.
Prior methods used to perform the objectives of the present invention are inefficient and costly. Because the invention is multifunctional, many of the objectives were performed in the past by many different modules and circuit boards. To sample a large quantity of analog signals, multiple analog to digital (A/D) converter boards were used, or a single board with very slow multiplexing switching times was, used. Different modules were needed to handle signal conditioning, dc signals, ac signals, frequency, and three phase power lines.
Using the old methods, the system processor board would process the signals received and significantly slow down the whole system. In the present invention, all the processing is performed locally on board thereby relieving the system processor of these duties. This provides for a much faster and efficient system. In the past, missile input data was only stored when received or removed. With the onboard random access memory (RAM) and storage algorithm of the present invention all the data throughout the launch can be stored.